Nobody expected AS Monaco to get this far in the Champions League, but here we are in the quarterfinal round watching them get ready to face off with Italian giants Juventus. On paper, Juve should be an easy favorite, but then again so was Arsenal in the last round, and we all saw what happened when Juventus didn’t take Monaco seriously enough.
Juventus vs. AS Monaco, Champions League 2015: Time, TV schedule and team news
It’s been 17 years since these two teams faced off in the Champions League, but we should expect this tie to be every bit as competitive as that one was.
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Monaco have never won in Italy, and, in fact, when these two teams faced in the Champions League semifinals in 1998, they lost 4-1 in the first leg of that tie in Turin, en route to falling 6-4 on aggregate. Juventus will be hoping to replicate that success, but will have to find a way to break down a very good and very determined Monacan defense to do so. They’ve got the talent to pull off the job, but will have to make sure not to leave themselves exposed against a very good counter attack. Either side that wins this match will have worked very hard to do so.
Key player - Carlos Tevez (Juventus)
If any one man can turn this match on its head, it’s Tevez. The Argentine striker is immensely gifted, capable of finding or creating the slightest holes in a defense and exploiting them with ruthless efficiency. The question will be how effectively Juventus can get the ball at his feet, but when they do, Tevez is someone who can make something out of nothing, and against a defense as well-organized as Monaco’s, that kind of ability is vital.
Key Matchup - Arturo Vidal (Juventus) vs. Geoffrey Kondogbia (Monaco)
Matches against sides like Juventus and Monaco are often determined by who wins the midfield battle. Without Paul Pogba and perhaps the venerable Andrea Pirlo as well, that means Vidal will have to be at his best. That often hasn’t been the case this season, with the Chilean suffering long strings of form defined as mediocre for him, but Kondogbia -- Vidal’s opposite number in Monaco’s midfield -- will still have to be in good form himself to give Monaco an advantage in the center of the pitch.
Juventus injuries and suspensions
Out: Paul Pogba (knee), Martin Caceres (ankle), Luca Marrone (thigh), Kwadwo Asamoah (knee), Romulo (groun) In doubt: Andrea Pirlo (calf)
AS Monaco injuries and suspensions
Out: Lacina Traore (leg) In doubt: Tiemoue Bakayoko (thigh)
Juventus are bruised and limping right now, trying to deal with the absence of star midfielder Pogba and hoping -- praying, really -- that Pirlo is fit and ready to go for this match. The losses of Caceres, Marrone, Asamoa and Romulo all hurt to varying degrees, but all are mostly rotation and reserve options, leaving Pogba and Pirlo as the relied upon starters who are hurt. For Monaco, Traore has hardly been relied upon, but could have offered a useful physical presence on the counter, where Bakayoko has always been quite good when called on to start, even if he hasn’t played frequently.
Match Date/Time: Tuesday, 2:45 p.m. ET, 8:45 p.m. local
Venue: Juventus Stadium, Turin, Italy
TV: Fox Sports 2 (U.S. - English), Fox Deportes (U.S. - Spanish), Sportsnet World (Canada), beIN Sports 1 (France), Sky Sport 1 HD Italia (Italy), Sky Sports 1/HD, Sky Sports 5/HD (U.K.)
Online: Fox Soccer 2 GO (U.S.), Sportsnet World Now (Canada), beIN Sports Connect (France), Sky Go Italia (Italy), Sky Go (U.K.)
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